


For Hearth and Home

by pan2fel



Series: Of Beasts And Men [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Fever, Gen, Heart & Duty, I wanted a fever fic and nobody was there to stop me, Sickfic, nyxulricweek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-01 20:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14528196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pan2fel/pseuds/pan2fel
Summary: Set some time afterPetrichor, but can be read as stand-alone.This is my contribution to Day 7 of theNyx Ulric Week 2018, exploring Nyx's obligations versus his desires.---Bound by the desire and obligation to help, Nyx pushes his own body to the limit.





	For Hearth and Home

It all started with a headache which, at the time, Nyx didn't give much thought. He hoped it would go away on its own and even if it didn't, the upcoming day wasn't promising anything strenuous. Unfortunately, the headache didn't leave him alone for the whole day. By the time he entered their trainings court he had to squint against the constant throbbing. The coeurl in his chest was restless but Nyx quickly lost himself in the seriousness of the training fights.

It had taken the Kingsglaive some time getting used to each other but now they slotted together seamlessly. Everybody knew where the other was and what they brought to the fight. They were a single, coordinated organism, timing their attacks in one smooth, deadly dance.

Nyx pressed his back against the wall, peering around the edge, looking for an opening in their simulated battle. He counted to three in his head, before taking a deep breath and throwing his dagger at one of the boulders in the middle of the court. His aim was off, as his vision spiked for a moment. However, the exhilarating feeling of the warp gripped him tightly, as his body followed the dagger. He needed to adjust his aim mid-distance, phasing in and out of the warp within moments and the hard impact of his solid body against the surface of the rock went through him with a jolt. Dizziness engulfed him, and he could hear the distinct scream of his little sister echoing through his mind, as he struggled to keep his grip.

A surprised yell made him snap back to attention and it was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he didn't get caught by another's warp. His dagger hit the ground with a clattering sound, shortly followed by his body materializing only inches away from it. The throw, however, was too hasty and sloppy, to land smoothly.

He rolled onto his back with a groan, panting heavily and when he opened his eyes a hand was pushed into his field of vision.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to take the hero of warping by surprise," Pelna grinned at him, mischief glittering in his eyes, while Nyx grabbed the outstretched arm, letting himself be pulled up. Vertigo followed the movement, but it passed quickly. Nyx frowned as he used his sleeve to get rid of the sweat beading on his forehead.

"You alright?"

Nyx shook his head minutely and clapped his hand on Pelna's shoulder. "Yeah, sorry, I got lost there for a moment." He threw him a grin and joined the others for the next round.

Training left him sore and more tired than he had expected, and it almost made him back out of their nightly gathering at Malbo Smul's Hut. But the teasing would have been unbearable, so he didn’t and even though exhaustion dampened his mood, he loved their get-togethers. It was the time of the day the community was bristling with life. It made the coeurl purr contently and it strengthened the feeling of belonging.  

There were no regrets, when he fell into bed as soon as he got home, his body aching from the exhausting day. His sleep was restless and filled with confusing dreams. Flashbacks to happier times were mixed with impressions of his captivity. It wasn’t surprising, that the night didn't bring any relief and when he got up the next morning, he had to force his body to comply. He felt sweaty and disgusting and even the shower couldn't get rid of the gritty feeling on his skin.

Nyx rubbed his eyes and shrugged into his uniform. If it was more crumpled than it should be, nobody commented.

Noon found him slumped into one of the chairs in Cor's office, his jacket thrown carelessly over the back, knees over the armrests. The food he had brought as offering to share had been barely touched. He watched Cor.

Their friendship, that had formed during the weeks on the road, hadn't weakened even though Nyx had basically deceived Cor for so long. If anything, it had become even stronger and the deep understanding both of them shared afterwards held them together. They didn't go out, they didn't even talk much, but they enjoyed each other’s company and they knew, should they ever need to work together, they had each other's backs.

Nyx's eyes were closed against the pounding in his head, and the constant scratching of Cor's pen on paper, almost lulled him to sleep.

"Nyx," the other said, but he didn't react. "Nyx!"

"Mhm, yes?" His eyes opened to slits, squinting against the too bright room.

"Why are you here?"

"I work here." He was met with a raised eyebrow. "I hide here?" He added with an afterthought, making Cor roll his eyes.

"You should go home."

"Mhhhh."

The scratching of the pen stopped, and his eyes snapped open again. He almost jumped out of his skin as he looked directly into the scrutinizing blue eyes of the other only an arm length away.

"You're right, I should get back to training." His headset crackled lightly.

"Nyx, where are you, man? Drautos ordered a meeting in 15 and you'd better be there," Pelna said in his ear.  

He cursed, jumping to his feet, only to almost fall back into the chair, as another wave of dizziness clouded his mind. He shook it off and smiled wryly, while tapping his headset. "I'm on my way, thanks, Pelna," he answered and threw a 'catch you later' over his shoulder as he hurried for the door. It slammed open just as he reached it.

"Cor, we have a situation."

Nyx turned around, throwing a curious glance back into the office, before hurrying to his own briefing. He was out of breath when he reached the room, most of his fellow Glaives were already there. He pushed through the throng of people, stopping next to Crowe, who threw him a questioning look, but he only smiled tiredly. Drautos swept into the room, taking them in with a serious expression.

"Downtime is cancelled. Sightings have been reported of more and more MTs dropping off near the border. Get ready to take them out." His eyes stayed on Nyx for a moment. "Marshall Leonis and a few of the Crownsguards will be joining you. Play nice,” he ordered. “For Hearth and Home." he said, being echoed by some – but not all – Glaives, before he turned away again and left.

The room filled with a surprised murmur. Nobody understood why the Crownsguard would join them. It wasn’t their area of expertise and the fear, that they would be in the way, was big. Nobody wanted to take on the responsibility of keeping an eye on them, while simultaneously fighting a real threat to the country. Disgruntled glances were exchanged, but nobody protested.

It took them less than half an hour to get ready and pile into the black vans driving them to the closest entrance point. Nyx leaned his head against the wall of the car, closing his eyes. The throbbing in his head had intensified and he slowly started to doubt that the sore joints came from their training after all. He was coming down with something and it was happening fast. The realization made him sigh, but all he could do was rub his hands down his face, trying to wake up, shaking off the cold feeling. He had a duty to fulfil and a debt to repay. The least he could do was to just do his job.

The others threw him worried glances but didn't speak up. The closer they got to their destination the more restless he got. The connection to his coeurl felt weird. It buzzed in and out, one moment he felt like the coeurl was miles away and the next as if his fur was already pushing through his skin. Nyx bared his teeth to get rid of the tension, as well as to placate the beast, and when the van stopped he dragged himself outside, stretching his sore muscles.

They regrouped to quickly hash out a strategy, trusting that they would click together in the field, just like always, only to remember the outsider addition. All their gazes landed on Cor and the Crownsguards, halting the conversation.

"We're here to support and to show these idiots what you do," Cor offered up, pointing a thumb over his shoulder, where a small group of Crownsguards stood.

"And you couldn't have come to our training grounds or something?" Nyx threw in, scrutinizing the small huddled group. They looked determined and the usual arrogance of the older Crownsguard’s members was missing. Cor only smirked, and Nyx rolled his eyes the realization that this was an attempt to keep the hate from growing. He wasn’t convinced and it only added to the stress he was feeling already.

"Just don't get in the way," Luche sneered. "Pelna, you coordinate. We'll follow your lead."

Nyx rubbed a hand down his face, trying to find a calm mindset for the upcoming fight, before they set off at a run. They used the surrounding vegetation for cover, only stopping when they spotted the troops. Nyx tried to get his breath under control while they watched them march.

When Pelna gave the signal, everything became a blur of well-coordinated fighting styles. The MT's didn't know what hit them when the Glaives descended on them. Nyx whirled around, warping from target to target, his body disintegrating at breakneck speed, while he landed critical hit after hit. His head was spinning as he buried his kukri into the neck of another Axemen. He followed it down, rolling over his shoulder, ripping the dagger out of the armour.

His eyes flickered around, trying to get an overview of what was happening, while he got up again. He had to sidestep, to prevent himself from tumbling to the ground, as vertigo hit him. But there was no time to stop, to analyse, there were so many enemies against so few of them.

He took a shuddering breath as his eyes fell on one of the Crownsguard's stumbling backwards and Nyx threw his kukri, slamming into the attacking MT. Their eyes met, but the spiking senses of his beast alerted him to an oncoming threat and he had barely enough time to throw himself out of the way, turning around to get rid of the next soldier with a well-aimed Thunder. It disintegrated while he got his bearings again.

The fight seemed endless and Nyx noticed how his reflexes started to lag. It took more and more effort to retrieve his weapons and his aim started to suffer, the kills taking more hits, becoming messier with each kill. Suddenly Cor was at his back, slashing through the MT that would have beheaded Nyx if it wasn't for the other's intervention. They stood back to back for a moment. Nyx panted heavily, blinking against his blurring vision.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I'm good." Now was not the time to be anything less. He took another deep breath, blinking against the sweat running into his eyes.

"You shouldn't have come."

"For Hearth and Home, right?" Nyx answered and threw himself back into the fray. He wielded the king's magic like there was no tomorrow and when his aim was off, he compensated by putting more power behind it. The coeurl was frantically pushing against his mind, trying to get him to shift. It was unusual, but his senses were so out of whack he couldn't really tell where the sensations came from anymore. And suddenly it wasn't the heavy boots that dragged him to the side, but big paws stumbling around in a dizzying dance. The air crackled and the beast roared in his stead. They pounced, whipping their whiskers around. Electricity shot out of his hand, followed by the blue shimmer of the warp, as paws ripped through their next target and they bared their teeth in anger.

The coeurl wasn't slowed down by his body's misery. It only knew survival. The fight around them died down as Glaives jumped out of the way, making room for their angry and wild attacks. The stumbling steps of human legs were caught by additional paws, making their way across the clearing. He spun around, whiskers hitting the MTs in front of them, flinging them out of the way at the same time. Daggers flew, burying deep into their next target, followed by the impact of human legs, bringing the MT down and while his hands started to shake under the strain, the coeurl wasn’t finished yet.

They roared, as the colours around them started to spin, the world filling with the black steam of dying MTs and enemies started to blend together. They ripped them apart without mercy, clawing, biting, stabbing and staggering around alone. Nobody dared to get in their way. Things started to blur even more and suddenly Nyx was standing in the middle of an empty field, his fellow Glaives forming a loose, big circle around.

He lifted his eyes, meeting the shocked eyes of the Crownsguards, the worried ones of his team mates before settling on Cor. The world around him spun in uneven circles, and he blinked in quick successions. A wave of exhaustion crashed over him.

"I think you were right," he told Cor, before his knees buckled. He caught himself on his arms and when his body threatened to tilt to the side, he was surrounded by the blue crystals of the warp, followed by hands catching him.

"Shit, Nyx," someone said next to him.

His eyes opened to slits, the roaring in his ears was so loud he barely understood what was being said. He felt frantic hands patting him down, looking for an injury that wasn't there. Another hand pushed his hood down, landing cool on his sweat glistening brows.

"You are an idiot," Cor's voice came close and he dragged his eyes open, trying to meet the blue ones again, unable to really focus. He groaned as someone pulled him upright and into a standing position, letting him lean heavily against their shoulder.

"Let's get out of here," Pelna muttered softly and started to move, dragging Nyx along. His movements were sluggish and slow, as he stumbled along, back to their extraction point. It took them longer this time around, slowed down by the leisure pace of post-battle fatigue and the halting steps of injured parties.

Nyx felt disconnected, the restlessness of the beast still pushing against his mind. It couldn’t connect the dots, they rarely got sick and it only knew that they felt miserable. His breath came in exhausted puffs.

"It's not too far anymore," Pelna said into his ear and true to his words, they lowered him down into the back of the van, letting him rest on the floor only moments later. Chills had set in, shivers wracking his body, so that someone pulled his hood back on in hopes for it to keep him warm.

The low murmur of the van lulled him into a doze and the feeling of yearning filled his chest. The yearning for rain. His hands balled into fists, the coeurl grumbling in his chest and he was suddenly jolted awake by a boot kicking at his legs.

"Don't you dare shift now."

He flipped the other the bird, but it was sluggish and uncoordinated. The memory of rain still within his reach. He fell back into a restless sleep, dreaming of chasing the storm, and only stirred again, when the van came to a stop. Hands were on his shoulders, pulling him up when the rear doors opened.

He slowly got to his feet, pushing away the helping hands. The world was too bright and with a weird shine to it, making him squint as he stumbled out of the van. Drautos was there, waiting for them.

"Pelna, report," he ordered, taking in their state of disarray.

Nyx was pushed down on the van's steps, looking pale and miserable. The protesting sound died quickly in his hoarse throat.

"We eliminated the target without too much hassle." Both of their eyes fell on Nyx, who was barely keeping himself upright anymore.

"Nyx, you're off duty until further notice. We're talking when you can think straight again," Drautos ordered with a frown.  Nyx wanted to protest, but only managed a small nod. Cor was suddenly by his side.

"Get up, I'll drive you home."

He let himself be dragged to his feet, slumping against Cor and careful to set one foot in front of the other, not even looking where they were going. The way home became a blur of dizzying sensations and smells, that was almost overwhelming due to the coeurl still being close to the surface.

He was in and out of consciousness, the images of Cor talking without sound, mixing with the laughter of his sister and the feeling of rain on his skin. Thunder was in his ears and the liberating feeling of his paws hitting the ground, running wildly and without destination filled his mind. He was restless, not noticing when someone pushed a glass of water against his lips, trying to get him to drink. His eyes slid shut again, his head falling to the side as sleep claimed him once more.

The fever had a tight reign over his body for days, wreaking havoc on his system. He woke up just as exhausted as he had felt before, barely able to keep his eyes open. But the aches had left his body, leaving behind the disgusting feeling of dried sweat and days’ worth of stubble. He remembered feeling cold and hot, while the world danced around him in a myriad of colours. He remembered running next to his coeurl, roaring at the storm side by side. And mixed in-between all this he remembered the distinct feeling of desire. The desire to extend a helping hand to those who needed it, to those in Galahd that might still try to fight. Even though his obligations and desires overlapped, there was so much more he wanted to do, so many more he wanted to reach. But the Kingsglaive could only cover so much ground.

"You're still alive."

Nyx turned his head, blinking against the light as his eyes fell on Cor, standing in the entrance of his kitchen with a steaming cup in his hand.

"Good."

The feeling of warmth and rain and calmness in the middle of the storm washed over him. "I guess I owe you one now," his voice still hoarse from the past days.

Cor only smirked.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, thank you very much, Jo!
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://whumpershaven.tumblr.com) to chat.


End file.
